YinTx

I have discovered pulling even Tiger thread through the beeswax helps prevent it from picking up material from the leather. YMMV. YinTx

Thank you, Venator and Brown. Here is the latest iteration. It would be nice to know how to square out the bottom some instead of the rounded shape I end up with, so if anyone has suggestions: YinTx

Hey, Thor, which knife did you get, and what do you normally use it for? Do you mostly make straight cuts, curved cuts, skiving? Thanks! YinTx

Thanks for the compliments. I have not seen the magnetic ones, and not sure how they would work? You wouldn't happen to have a link would you? I just used a soft plastic case, and I stitched it onto the leather to make sure it would not come off. I don't think I would trust just glue, but others may be able to speak up about how well that would hold up? YinTx

Just finished this up, custom color by request! The edges were a bear with this leather, and did not come out quite like I'd wanted. But, customer was happy, so thats what mattered! I opted for the unlined version since I was unhappy with the wrinkling liners. Second version of this had the black dye bleed all the way through the leather to the front: aarrrghh.. ruined. start again! anyhow, hope ya'll like it. YinTx

The best thing I have done is apply a lot of wax to the thread, and repeat every 10 stitches or so. Also, I try to pull the thread perpendicular to the work, to minimize friction on the leather when I pull the thread. I have also discovered quality of thread has some bearing on twisting: Fil Au Chinois seems to have the least amount of issues for me, but it will still twist. If anyone else has pointers, I'd be happy to hear them too! YinTx

I'd say you were able to! Came out nice! And thanks for posting the inside photos, well done, I like it. YinTx

And, unlike the sink and counter drops you get for free, no sharp edges that will constantly screw up your finished leather pieces. those rounded corners are nice! I'd say get it. YinTx

I like your use of contrasting colors. What did you use to dye your orange sketch book cover? would like to see photos of the inside, too! Keep up the nice work. YinTx

That truly sucks. You have my sympathy.

I have pm'd, emailed, etc since Nov. 5th and have received no response. Either he is sold out, or is no longer reading emails, etc. YinTx

Thank you Brown. Here is the latest version: YinTx

I just have a fat old soldering iron, I run it over the first layer only to "melt" the coat a bit on the surface, which seems to smooth things out nicely for the next coat. I think a lot of folks use the side of a fileteuse for that, but I haven't spent the $$ for one yet... so the iron it is. At the 3:43 mark you can see one being used here... YinTx

Oblivion!! Welcome back, long time no see! and, Thank you! YinTx

Oldnslow, Thanks for the compliment. I used the Fenice Brown Edge finish marketed by Tandy as Eco-Flo Professional Edge Dressing - Brown. They had a sale here 32 oz for $8.50 or so, so I thought I'd try it out. Suede backed veg tan seemed like a good challenge for it, seems to have done well. 3 coats, first one melted in with a hot iron, second one sanded down, third one left alone. I could have probably slicked it with some paraffin for a better shine, but I decided to leave well enough alone this time around. Hope that helps. YinTx

Max, Thanks for the hint, I may have to anneal to see how it works. Just broke my granite since I had to hammer it so hard! BAH. So just spent $20 on an anvil from H.F. I'll see if that does any better. After I finish mashing the last 2 rivets in the second one, I'll put up a couple of photos of it as well. Not such a big fan of the style of tray either, so I had tried a different version, which was the first one I did. The vertical sides didn't appeal to me, so I tried this version with the rivets. I thought maybe these would be simple to make, but turned out not so simple with the tooled inserts and dye, finish, 3 coats of edge paint,etc. They are lined with suede, Venator. Hence the painted edges vs. my usual beeswax burnish. YinTx

Second go at the leather valet tray. Not entirely happy with it, although it turned out functional enough... working on 2,3 and 4 as we speak... I think the brass rivets are more difficult than copper rivets from what I can see of folks using them in videos... all I can say is I could barely nip the tips off and rounding it with a very large ball peen hammer was a chore. Metal got hot from hammering! Enjoy... YinTx

congrats OTS! YinTx